Happy Birthday, Mike
by Yankee01754
Summary: Mike Williams is turning ten years old. Cam Ramsey and three of her friends from Laramie and the outlying ranches, are throwing him a party.


Happy Birthday, Mike

By Yankee01754

Mike Williams was so happy he could scarcely contain his excitement. Here he was, turning ten years old and he was about to have his very first birthday party.

Mike had been orphaned, nearly two years earlier, when renegade Indians attacked the camp he and his parents were setting up for the night. Prior to this they had been on the move constantly with stops for his pa to find work, take care of his sick mother and other problems.

Traveling Japanese entertainers had found him and Slim Sherman and Jess Harper had taken him in while Sheriff Mort Cory made inquiries about any relatives the boy might have. There were none. Mike had told them, that first day at the ranch that his mother's family had mostly died of some kind of sickness while his pa was trying "to get shuck" of his relatives.

The adoption Slim had promised was a reality. Mike was now an official, and legal, part of Slim's family of strays which included Jess Harper, former gunfighter and drifter but now Slim's brother of the heart, and Daisy Cooper the elderly widow whose late husband had been conned into buying a store in the non-existent town of Sherman, Wyoming. Daisy was now a surrogate mother to the two older ones and aunt to the youngest inhabitant of the ranch.

"When's Cam gonna get here?" Mike asked as he looked out the window again.

"She'll be here in plenty of time, Tiger," Slim assured him.

"I don't see why she had to stay in Laramie," the boy opined. "She stayed in the house – with us – every other time she's come."

Jess grinned and tousled the boy's hair. Mike was crazy about Cam Ramsey and her friends from Laramie. They included him in as many of their activities as they could and they didn't treat him like some dumb little kid who didn't know anything. That was Mike's biggest complaints about "grownups". They didn't think kids were smart enough to know anything.

"She said she had some last-minute shopping to do for the party," the Texan reminded his ward. "She said it would be easier to spend the night there and then come here for the party and stay over a couple of days before she goes home."

Scarcely fifteen minutes later Cam, along with her friends Tommy Everett, Dan Fulton and Linda Craig drove into the yard in the Fulton's buckboard.

"Cam!" Mike squealed and ran toward his friend.

"Happy Birthday, Mike!" Cam said as she hugged him. Looking at the adult men she added, "Hi fellas? How are you?"

Both men leaned down to kiss her cheek in welcome declaring that they were fine.

"What's all this?" Slim asked looking at the assorted boxes and bags in the back of the buckboard.

"Party supplies," Tommy informed him with a grin. "Candles for the cake, prizes for the games – oh we need half a dozen of Mrs. Cooper's clothes pins for one of them, isn't that right Linda?"

"Yes. Half a dozen will do." Linda confirmed as she grabbed a couple of small bags. Dan and Tommy started unloading the boxes and piling them on the porch for the time being. Even Mike carried a few small packages – and tried to peek inside before the girls shooed him away.

The two older boys were pulling a large wooden platform off the wagon. It was painted red and white and had holes cut in it and numbers painted over the holes.

"What's that?" Jess asked the boys as he and Slim gave them a hand taking it down.

"It's the target for the bean bag toss," Tommy told him. "Haven't you ever seen one before?"

"No. How does it work?" the Texan asked.

"You stand on a line about four or five feet back and you toss bean bags at the target. The idea is to get them through the holes with the highest point value and wind up with the biggest score," Tommy told him.

"I see Hannah and David McAllister's influence here. Gordy had one similar when we were kids." Slim grinned at his partner and the two teenagers.

"Not totally," Tommy told him. "Dr. McAllister showed Mr. McAllister's to Cam. She wrote me about it because she thought Randy and his friends might like one. I told Dan about it and we worked together to make it. Randy and Brian did the sanding and painting."

Randy and Brian were the two younger Everett boys. Randy was twelve and Brian was ten – the same as Mike. The three of them had good times together at school and town events such as the recently held day long fair.

"It was a 'community effort'," brown haired Dan joked.

Tommy laughed then asked Slim, "Where do you think the safest place is to set this up. Mr. Sherman?"

"Over by the barn. Mike used to throw mudballs at the barn wall over there. We'll keep the horses in the other corral so they won't get spooked."

Slim indicated the spot and then he and Jess helped the two boys move it into position. While Slim and the boys settled on the right spot Jess went over to the porch and grabbed Cam's trunk, wondering all the while why she had a trunk this time instead of a carpetbag like she usually had. He took it into the house and put it in the room she would share with Daisy.

Meanwhile, inside the house, the girls were hanging a banner over the fireplace, that said "Happy Birthday, Mike". Linda had gotten an old sheet from her mother and painted the words along with a horse, a hat, a stagecoach and some mountains with a few pine trees. She was the Laramie school's pride and joy when it came to artwork. Cam was the pride and joy of her school in Evergreen.

When the finishing touches had been put on the cake, the table set and all decorations hung they sent Mike to get some things from the men – the clothespins and Slim's pocketknife. They needed them for the games they had in mind. The girls, themselves, retrieved pads of paper and pencils and placed them on the mantle. Mike's dog, Buttons, and the current resident cat, were banned from the house after they got at the bean bags and ripped several of them. Cam took charge of cleaning up and repairing the bean bags while Linda requested a tray from Daisy for what she called the "Memory Game".

"What is this Memory Game?" Daisy asked Linda as she handed her a tray.

"It's quite simple, Mrs. Cooper. We place a variety of objects – in this case a pencil, a feather, Mr. Sherman's pocketknife, a thimble, a needle, a nail, a clothespin and such on the tray. Then we put a towel over it." Linda placed some of the listed items on the tray as she explained. "The kids will be given a pad of paper and a pencil. We'll set the tray down in front of them and give them five minutes to study, and memorize, what's on the tray. Then we cover it up again and take it away."

The girl set the tray down on the kitchen table. On it she had placed a pencil, a comb, a clothespin, a needle, a thimble, a nail, a pine cone, a piece of chalk, a feather, a fork, a nail, a paintbrush, a button, a price tag and several other small items.

"Linda, while the boys are playing tag and bean bag toss we should help Mrs. Cooper make lemonade and get the cake ready by putting the candles on it.," Cam said as she came int the kitchen. "Mr. Everett will be here with the kids any minute now.

Scarcely had the words left her mouth when Kyle Everett drove his big farm wagon, filled with hay and blankets for the children to sit on, into the ranch yard. A dozen excited boys and girls, jumped off, climbed down from or were helped down by Slim and Jess.

The girls wore their prettiest dresses in shades of pink, red, blue, green and yellow. Their hair was brushed and set in curls or braided or worn in pony tails. The boys wore pants and yellow, green, blue, red or calico shirts.

"Randy! Brian! You make sure you behave yourselves and do what Slim, Jess and Mrs. Cooper tell you to! Don't be giving your brother a hard time."

"Yes, Pa," the two boys responded before running off to join the others.

Kyle then turned his attention to the two young men.

"If my two give you any trouble don't hesitate to step on them. They're good boys but they can get a little wild sometimes. Tommy's going to be too busy helping run the games to focus all his attention on his brothers."

"Don't worry, Kyle," Slim said with a grin. "They're not troublemakers. They're good for Mike. He gets a little lonely for kids his age to play with."

Jess, meanwhile, was listening and retrieving the various packages – gifts – that the children in their excitement had left in the back of the wagon.

"I'll take these into the house and turn them over to Daisy and the girls. While I'm in there I'll find out what they want the kids to do first. See ya Kyle."

"Bye Jess. Slim, I'll be back around four o'clock to pick up the kids. Their folks are going to meet me in Laramie to get them and take them home."

With the farewells out of the way Kyle turned his team toward the road to Laramie.

As he left Cam stepped out of the house to retrieve the prizes and a glass bottle that was needed for one of the games. Looking up she saw the men and summoned Slim over.

"We need about fifteen minutes to finish up. Ask the boys to get a game of tag going – an _organized _game where everyone has a fair chance."

With a swish of her petticoats she went back into the house to finish the preparations. The two men organized the game of tag making Brian Everett "It" to start with and making sure, with the boys' help, that there was no rough stuff.

"Cam! Come take a look at the cake! It's beautiful!"

Daisy had outdone herself in trying to create a decorated cake that a young boy would enjoy. With a little help from Linda, who created an outline, the cake had Mike's name on it and pine trees and a small house and barn complete with a fence.

The three women quickly pulled the small table Slim used as a desk over to the table in the main room. Extra seating was needed since there were a dozen young guests to feed along with Mike, his family and almost grown friends.

A green damask tablecloth, provided by Linda's mother, was quickly thrown over the tables and plates were stacked on one end. Forks were laid at each place and napkins as well. A knife to cut the cake was placed on the table as well.

Earlier in the day, Slim and Jess had gathered extra chairs from the attic and the bunkhouse and cleaned them off so they could be used. One straight backed chair was to be used for one of the games the teens had planned.

At last everything was in place that could be done ahead of time. The lemonade was in the spring house to keep cold. The table was set, the cake was decorated and the ice cream mix was ready to be churned

"Ok. Time to start the bean bag toss. I'll grab the bean bags, Linda. You get the slate and chalk to keep track of the scores – or maybe one of those pads of paper and a pencil would be better," Cam said.

"Paper and pencil," Linda said as she took one down from the mantel.

Once outside the girls insisted that Daisy sit and enjoy herself.

A rousing game of tag was being played and the two teenage boys and the two adult men had been talked into playing. The air rang with shouts and giggles and thudding feet. The two adults were starting to look a bit winded. The youngsters had turned out to be quite nimble and adept at avoiding their tags. They were more than happy to slow down and catch their breath.

"Tommy, Dan? Time to start the bean bag toss. Here are the bags. I had to fix a few because Buttons and the cat got at them." She handed the box which held them to Tommy. Dan paced off a four-foot distance from the target to mark the throwing line then dragged his boot heel through the dirt to make the line where the party goers would have to stand to take their turns.

"Slim, would you and Jess please lock up Buttons and the cat in the barn for now? They'll be getting underfoot and chasing after the bean bags if we don't do something."

"I'll lock Buttons up," Jess said as he caught the medium sized mutt, "but the cat ain't about to be caught and locked up. Besides, I think those bean bags will scare it away when the kids throw 'em."

The girls looked at each and decided he was right.

"Okay. I hadn't thought about it but cats don't take to confinement and yours is no different." Cam smiled at him. "Okay, kids. Line up over here. Birthday boy first. Slim, can you make sure they make a nice neat line without pushing and shoving each other while Jess locks Buttons up?"

Jess took the loudly protesting Buttons to the barn and tied him in an empty stall. There were no enclosed box stalls so he did what he could. He gave the upset dog a pat, then he went out to the yard to see what was happening.

Tommy was explaining how the game worked. Most of the kids, other than his brothers, had never seen it before.

"Linda's got a pad of paper and a pencil. She's going to keep track of your scores," he told them. "You each get five bean bags. You take them one at a time and throw them at the target. The idea is to score as high as you can by tossing the bean bags through the holes. After ten rounds, apiece, Linda will tally up the scores and announce the winners. One boy and one girl."

Dan handed each child five bean bags. Then he stepped back and let the fun begin.

Mike threw one bean bag after the other, managing to get two through the 50-point hole while the others fell somewhat short of it. Dan Fulton kept track and declared that Mike had scored a respectable two hundred and fifty points.

Anita Plummer was next. She scored one hundred and fifty. None of the other girls did as well. Of the boys Randy and Brian Everett did the best. Randy topped Mike's score by twenty-five and Brian by fifty.

"You did well for your first time," Tommy told Mike. "My brothers have been playing this for a long time."

"What's next?" Slim asked.

"Clothespins in the bottle," Cam told him. We need a straight-backed chair for this one."

Just as Jess was about to go into the house and get one though, the two o'clock stage for Cheyenne started rumbling down the road toward the relay station. The teens quickly rounded up the children and made them stand, or sit, on the porch until the stage had left. Tommy and Dan then pitched in to help Slim and Jess change the team.

Mose was on the box and he climbed down to wait. Spotting the birthday boy, he walked over to the porch to talk to him.

"I hear tell somebody here's turning ten today," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "I wonder which one of you it could be?"

"Me!" Mike exclaimed. "Me, Mose! I'm ten today!"

"You don't say. I never would have guessed you were only ten." The old man reached into his vest pocket and pulled out two small parcel – a bag and a flat package wrapped in brown paper with a bit of ribbon around it. "I reckon these must be for you then."

Excitedly the boy ripped open the flat parcel first. In it were two string ties for him to wear to church or for other special occasions.

"Those are from Mort Corey. He'd a brung 'em himself except he's got a jail full of drunks from last night. The other's from me."

Mike opened the bag and found it was stuffed full of penny candy including licorice which was his favorite.

Daisy was quick to take custody of it.

"You can have some of this later," she told him. "You don't want to spoil your appetite for the cake, ice cream and lemonade you're going to have later."

"Aw Aun Daisy."

"Never you mind. Now what do you say to Mose?"

"Thanks Mose!"

The veteran stage driver reached out and tousled the boy's hair. "You're welcome. I see the team has been swapped out. I'd best be getting on my way or Slim will be bawling me out for being behind schedule." This was said just as the tall blond approached the porch.

"I heard that!"

"I think you were supposed to," Daisy laughed. "We'll see you on your return trip to Laramie, Mose. Be careful now.

Mose climbed up onto the box, took up the lines and called to the team. With a cloud of dust if rolled out of the yard in the direction of Cheyenne. As he did so the eastbound stage, for Laramie, rolled in. Again, Tommy and Dan pitched in with the changing of the teams and the four men – for such the teenagers thought of themselves – worked together to strip the harness and brush the horses down. The leather would need soaping but it could wait until the party was over and all the visitors were gone.

The boy, and girl, with the highest scores in the bean bag toss were awarded their prizes – a bag of marbles for Brian and a trio of new hair ribbons for Anita.

"If somebody will get that chair out here," Cam said with a look at Slim and Jess, "we can start the next game."

Slim took the hint and grabbed one from inside the house. Linda showed him where to set it up and then Cam set a glass milk bottle a few inches away from it.

"Okay, boys and girls, now it's time to see how well-coordinated you are. Everybody form a line over here. The teens smiled as the eager children did as they were instructed. "The object of this game is to see how many clothespins you can get in the bottle."

"That's easy," one of the boys said.

"It's not as easy as you think," Cam told him. "To play the game you must kneel on the chair and drop the clothes pins one at a time. No slouching and no leaning over the back of the chair."

She took the six clothes pins that Linda was holding and demonstrated.

"This is how you do it. Who wants to go first?"

Kevin Grant volunteered. Cam got him into position and handed him the clothespins one at a time. He only managed to get two and complained that this game _was _harder than it looked.

Brian Everett went next. He got three in. Randy got four, Anita Plummer got four. Then they started a second round. As the children were lining up to take their next turn, Cam asked Slim and Jess if they would start cranking the ice cream.

"We're going to play this and a game of keep away, then go inside for cake and ice cream, one more game – a quiet one this time – and then Mike can open his presents. By the time we do all that, Mr. Everett will be coming to pick up the kids."

"Sure," Slim replied. "Where did you put the fixings?"

"The mix is all made and in the freezer. We put it in the spring house to keep cool. You'll need to chop some ice and get some salt to put on it so it melts right. It takes about half an hour or so of steady cranking. You'll need to take turns."

"Ok. We'll take care of it and let Daisy know when it's ready." He turned to Jess, "Come on pard, let's get the ice and salt and get to work."

The two men ambled off toward the ice storage and then to the spring house. Meanwhile the teenagers got the last clothespin in the bottle round started followed by a game of keep away with a ball that Randy Everett had brought with him.

The yard rang with the squeals and yells and shouts of the excited children. Daisy watched from the porch smiling, and the happy faces and voices. It brought back memories of her son who had died at Chickamauga.

"Daisy, the ice cream's about ready. Better get everybody cleaned up and at the table." Slim's vice broke into her reverie.

"All right, dear, I'll let the party givers know. Bring it into the kitchen as soon as it's done."

Slim went back to the springhouse to give the freezer a final five minutes of cranking. Then he and Jess put it in the kitchen and washed up. The children were gathering at the table at that point, all washed up and dusted off.

"Mike, you sit here, at the head of the table," Cam told him as Linda and the boys got the other kids settled.

Face glowing, Mike took the seat of honor which was the one Daisy usually sat in. A moment later Aunt Daisy came into the room carrying the cake she and Linda had worked so hard on. They were followed by Slim with two pitchers of lemonade and Jess with a tray of glasses. There were ten candles in various places on the top of the cake. Tommy struck a match and lit them.

"Make a wish and blow out the candles, Sprout," he said to the birthday boy.

In no time Mike had complied and blown out every candle with one try. Cheers rang in the air as his friends, and family, congratulated him on a job well done. The boy's face was beaming as he made the first cut in the cake and then Daisy finished cutting while the girls passed plates with the pieces around. Slim and Jess poured the lemonade while Dan and Tommy passed the glasses around. After the children had been served, the teens and adults got their cake and a glass of lemonade. The room was quiet except for the clinking of ice and the clank of forks hitting plates.

When they had all finished their refreshments the table was quickly cleared and the tray of objects for the "Memory Game" was brought out as pencils and pads of paper were distributed. Cam quickly explained the rules of the game which, as Linda had explained to Daisy, were really quite simple. The children had five minutes to study the contents of the tray. Then they would have three minutes to write down, on their pads of paper, the items they remembered.

Thanks to his guardian's training in tracking, and attention to detail, Mike won this game but willingly let Randy Everett have the prize since he, Mike, was the guest of honor and had gifts to open yet.

"Ok, that's it. It's time for Mike to open his presents," Cam said after consulting with Slim on the time. "Mr. Everett will be back within the next half hour to pick you kids up and deliver you to your parents.

One at a time,f the teens put a package in front of Mike. Daisy sat close by with a pad of paper and a pencil so as to keep track of who gave him what. A certain ten-year-old was going to write formal thank-you notes to his friends and their parents.

There was a new bandalore to replace the one he'd gotten almost a year ago and was now lost, a Jacob's ladder and best of all the Everett boys had teamed up to make him a new kite. It was a large one – fully as tall as Mike himself and painted red, white and blue with a bright red tail. Dan Fulton gave Mike a pocketknife and Linda had given him several brightly colored neckerchiefs

Promptly at four o'clock, Kyle Everett pulled into the yard. By now the sky had clouded over and it was beginning to rain. Slim and Jess pitched in to help him stretch the canvas cover over the wagon so the children would not get soaked. Then they took a blanket Kyle supplied and escorted the party guests, one and two at a time, to the wagon and boosted them in. Within ten minutes every guest had said 'good-bye" and "Happy Birthday" as the wagon drove out of the yard with waves from guests and hosts.

When they were gone the girls helped Daisy to straighten up the house, do the dishes and put them away. The boys joined the men in the barn and took care of the harness, feeding the horses and mucking out all the stalls. Without asking Dan took the milking stool and milk pail and milked the cows. The bags that some of the prizes had come in were folded up and stuffed into an empty box. The boxes were neatly stacked ready to be loaded onto the buckboard or put away in storage for later use. Those that were too badly beaten up to reuse were quickly turned into kindling wood for the fires. The borrowed chair was wiped off and placed on the porch for the time being. The empty milk bottle was placed in a box and the clothespins returned to the bag hanging on the clothesline.

Jess grinned at his partner, "We ought to hire these two. We could get a lot more done and spend more time fishing.

The boys laughed.

"I don't think my Pa would let me go unless it was a real emergency – like when you were sick this spring," Tommy said.

"Mine either," Dan added with a grin. "He's kind of used to having me around."

"If you – or your fathers – ever need a favor just ask," Slim said. "We owe you a lot. Not just for Mike's party but for the way Tommy came and pitched in when Jess was sick."

The foursome worked together to hitch the Fulton's beam to the buckboard. It was time for Dan, Tommy and Linda to head for home. It didn't take long and soon the three teens were on their way back to Laramie to drop Linda off at home and Tommy to retrieve his horse from the livery stable before going to the Fulton's ranch for supper and to spend the night.

"Did you have a good time. Tiger?" Jess asked his Mike.

"Yeah. It was lots of fun only..."

"Only what?" Slim asked.

"Only I didn't get anything from Cam!" the boy blurted out in disappointment.

"She gave you a nice party. What more do you expect?"

"Nothing, I guess" the disappointed youngster said.

Cam, who was in the kitchen helping Daisy get supper, grinned. Little did her young friend know that her trunk contained gifts from her and her family. He would find out after supper and clean up.

Dinner that night consisted of a large roast ham, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, biscuits, sliced cooked carrots and leftover birthday cake – not that there was much – for dessert. It didn't take long, with two people working together, to clean up afterwards and do the dishes. The family then gathered in the living room to relax.

After a few minutes Cam faked a yawn, and said, "I think I'm going to get ready for bed. I'm tired."

She rose from her seat on the couch under the window and went into Daisy's room – presumably to change into her nightgown, robe and slippers prior to saying good-night to everyone. What she really did, once she closed the door, was to take out three gaily wrapped packages and return to the living room.

"Happy Birthday Mike!" she exclaimed as she re-entered the main room of the house.

"Are those really for me?" the boy asked.

"They certainly are. You didn't really think I was only giving you the party, did you?"

Taking a seat at the table she handed him a relatively large and heavy package.

"This is from Aunt Hannah and Uncle David," she told him.

The package contained books – a set of James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking tales and Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle."

"You'll have to have Slim read Sleepy Hollow to you some dark and stormy night," the girl joked. "He does a great job. Scared me half to death lots of times!"

"That I did," the blond responded, "and your aunt nearly took my head off for it the first couple of times.

Cam next handed Mike a box about six inches square. When opened it revealed a small, "Mike sized" as Cam put it, black Stetson hat with a four-inch brim, a four and one quarter inch tall crown with a braided leather band around it and an eagle feather stuck in the band. The excited youngster tried it on immediately.

"That's from Gordy," the girl told him.

"It's very nice of your family to send Mike those gifts," Daisy said. "I shall have to write them a special thank-you myself."

"They consider all of you to be part of the family," Cam told her. "They were thrilled to be able to help make Mike's special day even more special."

Handing Mike the last package she said, "This one's from me."

Eagerly the birthday boy opened it to find a brand-new sheepskin jacket.

"Cameron Blair Ramsey!" Slim exploded. "Did you go and spend all of your allowance and egg money on that jacket?"

"No, silly!" the girl retorted. "Somebody gave Uncle David the sheepskin as payment for a couple of visits. He thought Mike could use a good jacket a little bigger than the one he's got so he could grow into it. I borrowed one of Ricky Fulton's old jackets for a pattern – he's a couple of inches taller and twenty or so pounds heavier – and made the jacket for Mike to grow into over the winter."

"It was very sweet of you, dear," Daisy said. "Don't you think so boys?" She gave the two young men a meaningful look.

"Sure was," Jess agreed rapidly so as to stay out of trouble with Daisy. "Wasn't it Slim?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it was." Slim didn't want to incur Daisy's wrath either. Mealtimes could be miserable if he did.

"Try it on, Mike," Cam said, "so I can make sure it fits you right."

Mike stood up and donned his new jacket. It fit him fine and left a little room to grow. While he was at it he put his new hat on too.

The teenager stood and checked it out, tugging at the hem, and sleeves a little and straightening the collar

"He'll at least get the use of it this winter," she said. "Hopefully he doesn't outgrow it before Spring."

"It's time you were going to bed, Tiger," Slim said.

"Do I have to? I wanna stay up and play jack straws or checkers with Cam for a while."

Heading off an argument Cam said to the youngster, "You go get ready for bed and I'll tuck you in, hear your prayers and tell you another story about Rob Roy McGregor."

"You will? Oh, boy! I'll be ready in five minutes!"

With that the birthday boy headed to his room. Five minutes later Cam joined him and did as she had promised. Soon after that she blew out the lamp in his room and said her good-nights to the adults who weren't far behind.

Cam spent three days at the ranch, exploring the area with Mike, fishing, visiting her friends and helping Daisy as much as the older woman would allow her to.

Finally, the day of her departure came and she reluctantly packed her trunk with her clothes and the few things she'd bought while in Laramie including some dress goods that had caught her eye.

"Stage is coming," Jess called from the front door.

Cam, Daisy and Mike walked together out to the yard. Slim and Jess were swapping the team out for a fresh one. Ten minutes later it was done and Slim hoisted Cam's trunk up to Mose to secure.

"I wish you didn't have to go," Mike said to her as she squatted down to give him a hug.

"I do too, buddy," she said. "But school starts again Monday and I can't miss it any more than you can. When school gets out, in another month or so, I'll come for anther visit – or maybe you can come visit me for a couple of weeks. How would that be?"

"Could I?"

"If it's okay with Slim and Jess. I know it's okay with Aunt Hannah and Uncle David."

"If what's okay with Slim and Jess,"Sherman asked as he approached.

"Cam says I can go visit her when school gets out!"

"She does, huh? We'll have to see about that."

"He means 'yes', Mike," Cam smiled. "Because he knows Aunt Hannah will have something to say about it if he doesn't agree to your visit."

"All right, all right. Enough," Slim said. "It's time you were getting on the stage."

"Bye, Mrs. Cooper. I'll write soon," Cam said as she hugged the elderly woman.

"Good-bye, Cam. Thank you for giving Mike such a wonderful party," Daisy said as she returned the hug.

"If I kiss you are you going to wipe it off?" Cam asked Mike knowing how he felt about such things.

"Well, maybe not until after you leave," Mike told her.

Cam ruffled his hair and allowed Slim to walk her to the stage where Mose was patiently waiting.

"Bye Jess," she said as she hugged her friend.

"Bye Cam," Jess said as he kissed her cheek.

"Bye Slim."

"Bye Cam," Slim said as he leaned down to kiss her himself. "In you go," he added as he helped her into the stage and shut the door.

The family gathered in the yard and waved as the stage drove off. Cam leaned out the window to wave back as the stage headed for Cheyenne where Cam would meet her cousin Gordon McAllister and board the train that would take them to Red Bluff which was the closest town with a train, or stage depot, to Evergreen where they lived. From there the cousins would take a hired buckboard to take them the rest of the way home.


End file.
